In my mind’s eye I glance down at this beautiful generous planet of ours and think of the recent reckless, money-based U.S. election cycle. I’ve been sickened almost to despair in the weeks following it.

Here I am, a 71-year-old grandmother, looking back on her decades of unknowingly bingeing off this planet’s resources. I flew over her continents burning thousands of gallons of jet fuel, messing up her sensitive climate, while blithely sipping wine and eating cold shrimp. More than a third of the world’s population goes hungry (many in my own country), and much of their land, air and water is hopelessly polluted. Did I contribute to the world’s starving people and the polluted land, air and water?

The recent election’s exit polls reveal that close to one half of the citizens of this country want to stay in denial, thinking we can all endlessly keep sucking out the last drops of our planet’s diminishing resources. The way to power and importance is “All Holy Money” and insistence on “growth” being the way to prosperity and success. Perpetual growth from a planet whose beautiful precious riches are finite?

Why can’t we understand with our survival instincts that the only hope for all of us to endure is, above all, compassion, empathy and truth sharing through education. Let’s learn food sharing and sensible family planning for all. Let’s begin to protect our land, air and water.

Through the centuries of this planet, it used to be when one powerful government such as Rome collapsed through corruption and greed, the humans would go on to the next unpolluted spot to rebuild and start the whole process again. We watch the U.S., determined to turn Texas, Nevada, Arizona and much of the Midwest into desert or China determined to pollute its air and water for the all-important power of money. We seem to be missing an important point. There is nowhere else to move, no matter how much money we may have.